Purple Prom Dresses and Gold Epaulets
by Islandwitch
Summary: Based on the hilarious clip of Eli in the promo for 'The Time of My Life'.


Probably just a quick one-shot, I might get inspired and write more. This is based on the promo for the Season 12 finale.

* * *

"Come on Adam! I don't have a lot of time to figure this out" Eli said desperately. He and Adam were in the Torres' basement; Adam was trying to watch TV but Eli kept bouncing around the room and talking about Clare.

Adam rolled his eyes "Dude! I'm not getting in the middle of this" he said as he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

Eli sighed but he couldn't really blame Adam; prom probably wasn't the best topic to discuss with him but Eli knew it was his one last chance to make things right. It had hurt for Clare to turn him down but what hurt worse was the tears in her eyes when she'd said how great it was that he got everything he wanted. Eli knew what she'd meant and his heart hurt to think how drastically things had changed for her in the past year and he chided himself for adding to her distress. He knew she must be dreading summer break; Asher's trial was scheduled to begin just two weeks in and who knew how long it would take, it could ruin her entire summer if she didn't have some friends to help her through it. Not that Eli would be content to just be her friend but maybe baby steps was the way to go? He shook his head and dismissed the thought, it was his turn to prove how serious he was about the relationship and he needed to start by doing something grand to get her attention.

Adam groaned as the horror flick he'd been watching ended and a romantic comedy came on.

Eli looked up just as Adam flipped the channel "wait! Turn it back!" he yelled.

"What?" Adam looked at him as though he'd lost his mind.

Eli took the remote and ignoring the 'hey!' from Adam, he flipped it back to the romantic comedy where the heroine was just getting ready to marry the wrong guy, she arrived at the church in a horse-drawn carriage and stepped out of it wearing a pouffy white gown.

"That's it!" Eli shouted "that's how I'll win Clare back!"

Adam quirked his eyebrows "by dressing up as Cinderella?" he pretended to consider it "yeah, that'll make her day"

Eli glared at him and whacked him with a sofa cushion "no..." he drawled "I'll rent a carriage and dress up as a prince! She'll see that we can be a fairytale if that's what she wants!"

Adam rolled his eyes again (he's started doing that a lot since befriending Eli and Clare) and huffed "if you say so, now can I have the remote back?"

* * *

Clare adjusted her dark purple prom dress one last time and picked up her lipstick; she carefully applied the almost nude color then patted her bodice.

"Hmm" she tilted her head back a little and faked a smile into the mirror "you're going to have fun tonight Clare" she whispered under her breath and tried to make herself believe it. A glance at the clock told her she and Jake would be late if she didn't hurry up so she pushed the tube of lipstick into her small beaded purse and walked down the stairs. She turned into the dining room and saw Jake; he was handsomely dressed in his tux and sitting at the table, he stood up when she came in and a grin spread across his face.

"What do you think?" asked Clare twirling around and curtsying as a genuine smile graced her features for a moment.

"Very nice" Jake replied "and how do I look?" he imitated her by twirling then curtsying and Clare laughed at the ridiculousness. Jake smiled and offered her his arm, before she could take it though he glanced out the window and his jaw dropped.

"What?" Clare asked suspecting a hoax or prank from her step-brother.

"Uh, I think you might want to see this..." answered Jake still staring out the window.

She rolled her eyes but stepped closer so she could see outside.

"OH MY -" Jake's hand covered Clare's mouth quickly, effectively interrupting what she was going to say.

She turned to glare at him and he shrugged.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be angry at me, I'm not the one that showed up at your door in a matador's costume" he pointed out as she turned back to the window to stare at Eli who was standing in a white horse-drawn carriage. He was dressed in a white prince's costume complete with red jacket, gold epaulets, and a decorative sword. He had an awkward look on his face as he attempted to balance with one leg up on the seat.

"Am I really seeing this?" asked Clare in shock.

"Yep" Jake popped the 'p' as he pursed his lips and tried, oh so hard, not to laugh.

"What do I do?" she turned to him with a panicked look on her face.

"Um, why are you asking me?" asked Jake "I don't know what you want to do! You don't even know what you want to do!" he raised an eyebrow and suddenly he couldn't keep it in anymore as he began to chuckle "whatever you do, do it quick! Eli looks like he's about to die of embarrassment"

Clare moved towards the door as though she was in a daze. Jake snorted behind her but she tuned him out and opened the door.

"Eli..." she trailed off as Eli leapt down from the carriage and stalked gracefully towards her.

"My fair lady, would you do me the honor of attending the prom with me?" he asked rather dramatically, going down on one knee and taking her hand with a hopeful expression in his eyes.

"Well..." she hesitated, the look in Eli's eyes was hard to fight against but she was still hurt by what he'd said when he broke up with her.

"Clare, I know we have a lot to talk about before we could ever be together again" Eli said seriously as he saw her hesitation "but just for tonight; couldn't we forget our troubles and have the prom you've dreamed about?"

"Then we'll talk tomorrow?" she asked quietly, wanting to believe him.

"Yes" Eli smiled tentatively at her "I don't want to lose you Clare, but whatever happens tomorrow; at least let me give you the fairytale you deserve tonight"

"Okay" she smiled "but you might want to stand up or people are going to think you're proposing"

A smile brightened Eli's face and he laughed with her as he stood and swept her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Ahh" she squealed "Eli! You're going to ruin my dress!"

"So I guess this means you don't need a ride to the prom?" asked Jake coming up behind them.

"Um, well actually I was only able to rent the carriage for an hour so maybe you could drive us?" asked Eli.

Jake and Clare both rolled their eyes (there's a lot of it going around! Maybe it's Eli?) and all three of them laughed as they headed to Jake's truck for what was sure to be one of Degrassi's best ever proms.


End file.
